Where the Shooting Star Lies
by ReinaKai
Summary: If you wish upon a star your dreams will become reality. That's what people told young Sarralyn Salmalin, Tortall's only Gifted Wildmage. But did anyone warn her of the path she'd have to follow for her wishes to come true? Not at all. Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the first chapter of my first fanfic, so no flames puhleeezze! Yep yep, so this is the story of Tortall's newest generation. Hope you like it! (And if you don't you don't have to keep reading it!)

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it (if I did, I'd be sending this to a publisher, sorry guys!)

_**Full Summary:**_ **"I'm going to use everything to save everyone, whether they like it or not."**

Sarralyn Salmalin was more unique than anyone could have imagined. Born with both the Gift and Wild Magic, a feat thought impossible, Sarralyn longs to be so much more than just a Mage or Wildmage. She wants her shield, and she's going to do whatever she has to do to get it. But when both her parents reject Sarralyn's dream of Knighthood, she turns to make her own path. Masquerading as Sarra of Caramein, an orphaned Scanran, Sarralyn begins her journey to show the world that she can do anything, and be everything.

**The Wildmage**

Veralidaine Salmalin, known as Daine the Wildmage, enjoyed a rare day of freedom. She strolled alone through the beautiful gardens of her home, her long curls blowing in the soft wind, her stormy blue-grey eyes flashing in the dying sun. Her mind was on her family. Her husband, Numair Salmalin, the greatest mage in Tortall, had been gone for nearly a week now on his journey to the Copper Isles. Most believed it was a simple visit, to meet with Queen Dovasary and her new husband Lord Taybur Sibigat, but Daine knew that the real reason was to see the Isles' Spymaster Alianne Crow about the magic of her newborn son. Daine sighed and shook her head. A half-human child with crow-magic would surely raise some interesting questions for her knowledge-loving husband.

As she strolled along the stables, Daine tossed a brief hello in the direction of the horses, smiling as they greeted her warmly. Her own faithful pony, Cloud, was nestled tight in a grove somewhere with her mate. It always amazed Daine that Cloud chose Peachblossom as her new mate when before she had coupled and even had a fowl with Alanna's extremely handsome stallion Darkmoon. Of course, after The Lioness' steed passed in battle, where was Cloud to turn to but to someone else? Still, the turn of events greatly amused Daine and the grin was still plastered onto her lovely face long after she passed the stables.

The Wildmage stopped to pick upa toy wooden sword and her smile faltered as she thought of her three children, Numaine, Rikash, and Sarralyn. Numaine was barely two years old, the youngest of the three, and had a wonderful hobby of speaking to the palace animals, a skill that both frightened and charmed most nobles. Rikash was a prickly kind of eight-year-old, just like the stormwing for whom he was named, with great magical potential and a thirst for knowledge that his father was both happy and eager to quench. Both Numaine and Rikash would grow to become fine young Tortallan men, Daine knew. But Sarralyn… a sigh broke free from Daine's lips as she thought of her eldest child and only daughter.

Sarralyn was a nine year old unlike any other. She was neither medium in height like her mother nor as tall as her father, but somewhere in between. Her eyes were Daine's eyes; all stormy-blue with seductively long eyelashes that she'd yet to use and she had hair the color of a raven's wings, like her father. Even at this young age, it was obvious that Daine's only daughter would be a beauty when she was grown, as it was so for the Wildmage, but as she was now, Sarralyn appeared to be nothing more than an innocently mysterious young girl. But underneath Sarralyn's mask of childhood sweetness was something new and unseen before.

Unlike Numaine and Rikash, who had inherited either their mother's wild magic or their father's Gift, Sarralyn had obtained both. Not many knew this secret; that Sarralyn had somehow done the impossible and ended up with two kinds of magics, for Daine and Numair had hidden it from the world soon after their daughter's birth. They thought that if Sarralyn's Gift was not exercised, it may fade, or become more wild magic. They were wrong. Now at nine years old, Sarralyn was overflowing with her father's massive magical Gift and her mother's intense wild magic, and it would soon become impossible to ignore, as she naively grew more and more powerful.

Daine shook her head and looked to the sky. A single golden eagle was soaring overhead, and for a moment, Daine envied the bird's freedom. Surely a child of the sky did not have to worry about her daughter's insane dream to become a knight, mage, and wildmage at once! The beautiful creature half-turned in midair towards her, as if it had heard her desperate thoughts, and the woman dropped her gaze. Slowly, The Wildmage turned from her stroll and walked back home, where her children would be waiting for her.

"_What will you become, my daughter? Who will you be?"_

____________________________________________________________________________________

Hi there fans of ReinaKai… I bet you've been wondering why this author has not been updating these last several months… Well, I don't really have an answer for you, but I do have something else. My name is Lia and I'm going to be taking over this story. Hopefully, this will speed up things (I really hope so) and I'll be able to finish Where the Shooting Star Lies. From now on, this account is turned over to me. I will not be significantly changing the first 9 chapters, but I will update them with my own ideas a bit, so re-reading is a good idea. I hope that I won't let down any of you!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So, to get things up and running, I posted this early. Normally I'll post a new chapter every week or so. Enjoy!

_**End of chapter 1**__:_ Daine shook her head and looked to the sky. A single golden eagle was soaring overhead, and for a moment, Daine envied the bird's freedom. Surely a child of the sky did not have to worry about her daughter's insane dream to become a knight, mage, and wildmage at once! The beautiful creature half-turned in midair towards her, as if it had heard her desperate thoughts, and the woman dropped her gaze. Slowly, The Wildmage turned from her stroll and walked back home, where her children would be waiting for her.

"_What will you become, my daughter? Who will you be?"_

**Magic and Fate**

Long after Daine had gone inside, the golden eagle which she had so envied finally came to a rest on the branch of a large oak that was hidden from any curious eyes. The magnificent bird tossed her head, golden feathers rustling, and began to change, wings folding into tanned arms, beak shrinking into a defiantly straight nose, yellow eyes shifting, feathers fading, until at last a naked young girl sat gracefully on the branch.

Sarralyn Salmalin shook her head, her long black hair tossing about. She opened eyes that were the color of the sky after a thunderstorm and fluttered her long, dark lashes to clear her vision. Her mother's question still rang in her mind. She knew what she wanted to be, but still it wasn't good enough. Sarralyn sighed, sadness and confusion a deep ache inside of her.

"I didn't ask for this, mother" the young girl whispered aloud in a voice that was as musical as the tune of a songbird layered with the cry of an injured wolf.

She let a few tears slither down her cheeks as she opened up her senses to the People. The sounds of the wild filled her mind; the calling of one blue jay to another, a happy puppy laughing as he played with his siblings, a cat meowing hello to her tom. Sarralyn smiled as the sounds of the animal world engulfed her. She wanted so badly to get lost in that world, but just on the corner of her magical vision, a sparkling black halo held her back. Her Gift. More tears streaked down the young girl's face as she examined the two fires burning separately inside of her. Her wild magic burned copper, like Daine's did, and her Gift sparkled black with white, like Numair's. She probed at the copper that filled one half of her and the black in the other. Neither would budge. Neither was more powerful. Sarralyn stopped fussing with her magic and held her head in her hands, pressing against her burning eyes, willing herself to stop the onslaught of tears she felt coming.

The heavy-hearted girl raised her reddened eyes when she noticed the first furry body that began to nuzzle her leg, then another and another. A family of chipmunks crowded around her, squeaking concern. The largest of the animals looked up at Sarralyn, his nose flickering nervously as he attempted to look at the girl who towered above him.

A laugh wormed its way through the Salmalin girl's sadness as the chipmunk introduced himself as Terran and quietly asked what was wrong. Sarralyn tickled the small animal's belly, making it squeak, laughing uncontrollably. The younger chipmunks crowded around, begging for her to play with them as well.

_Me next Sarralyn!_

_No! My turn! _

_Stop pushing!_

"All is well" Sarralyn lied to the head of the clan as she played with the young creatures.

_You know that is a lie, Gifted Wildmage, you are troubled because of your magic, and because of your dreams of knighthood. _Terran smiled reassuringly.

Sarralyn sighed again and put the small, chattering chipmunks down. "I am half beast-People and half two-legger like my mother, but at the same time all mage like my father. I am an accident, a freak of nature, and I don't know why I am this way."

Terran nodded supportively. _This is a matter of two-leggers, which I know little about. As for your People half, embrace it, because we will always be here for you. You need to be in a place that accepts you for all of you, not just your mage side or People side. I wish you luck in this matter. _And with that, Terran gathered up his family and left.

Sarralyn brooded over what Terran had said until Mithros' great sun went down and the Goddess's moon shone bright overhead. She knew what she needed to be, what she had to be. She felt the palace calling at night, begging her to embrace what she was always supposed to become. But neither of her parents would ever let her become a knight. Didn't they see that knighthood was the only way she could prove that she was worth something?The young girl shuddered, knowing what she must now do in order to begin her journey.

* * *

A knock on her door awoke Sir Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau from her fitful sleep. "By the Goddess" the fiery red-head whispered coldly, snaking out of bed and grabbing her sword, in case her visitor was an enemy. "Who is it?!" she called, one hand on the door handle, one clasped around the unsheathed sword.

"Aunt Alanna! It's me, Sarralyn! I need to talk with you!" came the small reply.

Alanna sighed and set down her sword before opening the door to her goddaughter. Sarralyn came flying through the door into the woman's arms, embracing her tightly with a trembling body. The confused Alanna stood stone still, shocked beyond reason for a second, for her Sarralyn was not so outlandishly emotional, before stroking the young girl on the head and carrying her over to a chair. _What happened? _Alanna thought to herself as Sarralyn brought her quiet sobs under control. _Is her gift acting up again? _Alanna was one of the few who actually knew the Salmalin girl's secret.

"Aunt Alanna" Sarralyn began when her shaking had ceased "I want to be a knight- I need to be a knight, and I want you to train me"

The Lioness was struck dumb at her goddaughter's words. _A knight! She wants to be a knight! _Almost thirty years before, King Jonathan and Queen Thayet had decreed that girls could become pages. It had taken ten years for the first female candidate to come forward; a Yamani-raised child named Keladry of Mindelan. Since Kel, there had been four other girls who had tried for knighthood, all successes; Adele of Dawn's Peak, Miriam of Toran, Rochelle of Athenon, and the recently deceased Shara of Stone Mountain. Males of the kingdom laughed as they pointed out that the number of female knights could be counted upon one hand.

"Sarralyn" Alanna said, her hands on the girl's shoulders "why do you suddenly wish to be a knight? Why have you never mentioned this before?"

The young girl looked up at Alanna, her stormy-blue eyes all steel and fire. Alanna itched to probe with her magic, but the girl's answer came promptly.

"It's my dream to become a knight, it has been ever since I understood what I was, but mother and father always discouraged it. I know that I'm different but I also know that I can be someone for people look up to- someone that people depend on to protect them."

Alanna stared at her goddaughter, trying to decide if she was serious about this. _Those eyes aren't lying _the red-headed woman thought as she stared into their steely depths. But she also knew that this wasn't a decision for just the child alone. "What do your parents think of this… choice? I've been told by them that you wish to train as a Wild Magic- user, or a mage."

"Aunt Alanna…" the girl finally said, breaking the heavy silence that had followed Alanna's words "There is no way for me to choose between my paths, when they are all side by side. I'm meant for so much more than the life of just a Knight, or just a Mage or Wildmage. I'm the first person to be born into this world with two types of magics. I want to help the world in every aspect. I can heal People with my wild magic, humans with my gift, and I can protect them with a shield. I want to do it all."

_This is unheard of! She can't have all three! She has to pick one!_ Alanna was about to voice her opinions when a small voice (that sounded surprisingly like a certain furry companion from her past) resounded inside of her. _You were a mage and a knight _it said. _You didn't have to give up your shield because of your Gift. _The amethyst-eyed woman cringed at the truth in that voice

The woman stood up, turning her back on Sarralyn. "I need to think about this" she mumbled, knowing that this would not be easy. "I need to inform your parents about this, when your father returns." Alanna stayed motionless as the soft sound of rustling feet marked Sarralyn's departure.

Alanna shook her head in exasperation, knowing there was nearly no way anyone could sway the Wildmage and Numair about their daughter. _Don't worry_ that small voice said again _nothing will change that girl's destiny._

____________________________________________________________________________________

YAY!! Onto chapter 3! What will happen to Sarralyn? Will her parents finally decide to let their daughter pursue her own dreams, or will they continue to keep her from fate? If you write some really nice reviews, you might just find out! ^_^ hehehe, just kidding. Chapter 3 is going to be coming out early, so keep an eye out!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'd like to re-introduce you to a character we all know and love… Enjoy!

_**End of chapter 2: **_Alanna shook her head in exasperation, knowing there was nearly no way anyone could sway the Wildmage and Numair about their daughter. _Don't worry_ that small voice said again _nothing will change that girl's destiny._

**A Roadblock Called Father**

Two weeks later, a tall man sat at a desk in his study, deep in thought. He had a very difficult decision to make: one that would change the fate of someone very precious to him. Far away, the door to the study opened, and another figure approached the desk.

Numair Salmalin turned to look at his oldest child and only daughter. Sarralyn stood completely, painfully straight, her hands clasped behind her back, her face hidden behind an emotionless mask, her stormy eyes burning. Something wasn't right. The greatest mage in Tortall sighed and gestured for his daughter to sit across from him.

"I'd rather stand, thank you, father" Numair shivered at the sound of the ice in his child's voice. She knew what this was about.

"Sarralyn" Numair's voice was soft and cautious as he spoke "Alanna told me about what happened that night" the tall man folded his hands silently on his desk, looking his daughter in the eye. "Please try and understand me, Sarralyn. You are not meant to be a knight. You have a role in this world, and that of a knight is not it."

"You know that I can, father, you know that. You know I'm strong enough, and you know in your heart that this is what I am supposed to do. Why are you trying to hold me back from what I'm destined to become?" Numair's heart gave a tug as he watched his daughter's face fall. He knew that she was right. If she were anyone else…

The mage sighed and rubbed his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. "Sarralyn," he said, his voice exhausted, "why do you want to be a knight?"

"Because I know I'm so much more than what everyone expects me to be_,_" she said, her voice coldly emotional. "Because I know that having wild magic and the gift isn't all there is to me. Because I know I can be so much more and I want to be out there_ doing something_, not sitting here being _useless!_"

Numair watched as his daughter lost what control she had over herself through the course of her outburst, her cheeks red with anger, eyes flaming, hands balling into fists at her sides. _She could do it, _a tiny voice inside of the mage whispered. _She could be something more. She could show them all exactly what it means to fulfill a destiny. _But this voice was a very small one. "Sarralyn, this coming generation isn't ready for you. Roald is too much like his grandfather. People will want things to be consistent once he takes the throne, and you will be too much for them."

"But wild magic and the Gift are tools! I cannot wield a weapon if I don't know how and I can't use them the way I like without a shield" Sarralyn cried in indignation. "What's so overwhelming about it when they all make sense?!"

"'To choose one path is to forsake all others.'" Numair quoted bitterly "Someday, it's going to be necessary to define yourself as something. You can't be a warrior, a mage, and a wildmage."

"But I am all those things already, father. I speak to the People, I heal two-leggers, and I defend what is right. You said I could do anything," Sarralyn whispered, fighting against the hot tears begging to roll down her cheeks. The sight made her father's heart freeze over. "You said I would show them that I could be everything."

"I didn't mean that you could have it all! You have to be something! You-" Numair stopped suddenly, realizing what he had just said. In front of him, Sarralyn had gone ghostly pale.

For a moment, Numair could almost feel the weight of his daughter's anguish, like a blanket of lead a thousand kilograms heavy, as coppery-black magic pulsed through the air. It lasted but a second. He watched as his daughter folded into herself, extinguishing that light that had shined so bright in her soul.

"Good night father" the voice that had been so emotional just a minute before was now dead, lost like the looks on the now-expressionless face. The man didn't see the fire burning twice as fierce in his child's eyes as she bowed slightly. He didn't think of the stubbornness that had not vanished from her chin when she turned away from him and he didn't know the treachery that roared in her heart as she left. Her last thought before the door closed behind her was: _I don't care what you say. I'll save the world without your help. _

__________________________________________________________________________________

What could young Sarralyn be thinking of doing??? Hmmm...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So, chapter 4 is up and running. Thanks to any of you that are still reading! It will get better soon (I hope!) Oh, and this is the first of the very long chapters that will be common from now on. If you don't like these long ones, tell me and I'll split them up. It's just that I realized that the story will be way too long if don't watch out with how many chapters I post. Anyway, enjoy!

_**End of Chapter 3:**_ "Good night father" the voice that had been so emotional just a minute before was now dead, lost like the looks on the now-expressionless face. The man didn't see the fire burning twice as fierce in his child's eyes as she bowed slightly. He didn't think of the stubbornness that had not vanished from her chin when she turned away from him and he didn't know the treachery that roared in her heart as she left. Her last thought before the door closed behind her was: _I don't care what you say. I'll save the world without your help._

**Destiny: Breaking Down Barriers**

Sarralyn left her father's study that night knowing clearly what she had to do next. She'd need help, and she knew exactly how to get it. Quietly, the girl slipped into her room. She stared coldly at the small place that had, just an hour ago, been so important to her. Now it felt like some kind of bribe. The fakeness of it tore at her soul as she strolled to her closet and grabbed a bag.

_You think that you can stop me from being who I am? _She thought to herself as she fished the large stash of money that she'd been saving up from under her bed. _You think that you can hold me back? Just watch and see what I can become. _

Sarralyn went around her room, collecting all the little things that were still important to her. She left behind the stuffed kitten that her parents had given her when she was just a babe, and took the books that her other relatives had given her, about Lady Knights and mages and wild magic.

The moon rose as Sarralyn worked, flooding her room with eerie light. For a moment, the young girl stopped and surveyed the place that she used to know so well. It looked so… lifeless in the moonlight, so empty and unreal. The young, Gifted wildmage wondered if her room had always looked this way, or if it was just the situation that made her want to scream at its falseness.

Of course, maybe it wasn't the room at all; maybe it was just the cold emptiness in her heart that made her see the world this way. Sarralyn shuddered at the thought and hastily continued to pack.

Finally, there was only one last thing that needed to go with her.

The girl brought down the parcel that she'd kept up on her highest shelf for the last five years of her life. Trembling as she gave herself the ears of a wolf to pick up the approach of anyone that may stop her, Sarralyn opened the package and grinned.

Inside the wrapping lay a beautiful hand-and-a-half sword more unique than any that had ever been made before. It was, at the moment, long and graceful, made of the lightest, hardest, sharpest steel in the world. There was a large black opal attached to the hilt that shined irresistibly in her eyes. All along the hilt were exotic designs, made from the chips of other dark and powerful opals. Sarralyn took the blade in her hand and it shone with sparkling black power. The girl sighed as she remembered how she had come by her most prized possession.

It had been five long years before that Sarralyn had run into the forest, chasing a light that only she could see. She'd become hopelessly lost, chasing a phantom, and had sat down, alone and cold beside a small pond. She'd wondered why the People weren't coming to cheer her up as they normally did when she was alone. She was so beside herself that she hadn't noticed the tall, strange woman who had come up beside her.

The woman had known her name, had called to her and said "Sarralyn, I've finally found you." That voice had sounded like the cry of a thousand packs of wolves, and the four-year-old had wanted to clap her hands over her ears and scream when she heard it. Instead, she'd whipped around and gotten an eyeful of the most beautiful woman in the world. A woman with fierce green eyes and lips as red as blood.

She'd smiled and said "My Daughter, don't be afraid, you're safe with me. You've got a destiny ahead of you, one that is so different from everyone else that I can't even tell you what it will be right now, but take this to help you, and I will find you when the time comes."

Before Sarralyn could say anything or even blink, the woman was gone, and in the place where she had stood laid the sword. A sword that the young Gifted Wildmage would come to name "Destiny."

Sarralyn never told anyone about this strange encounter, but experimented on the sword with her Gift and her wild magic when her parents went to sleep. She'd found that if she concentrated her magics through the opals, she could do nearly anything.

Then there was the fateful day when she'd been experimenting and had heard footsteps coming down the hall to her room. She'd panicked, knowing that she couldn't hide the weapon in time, and wished passionately for a moment that the sword was smaller… A few moments later, when a hungry Rikash came into his sister's room, he found her gawping in amazement at a small dagger in her palm.

Since then, Sarralyn had practiced long and hard with the strange magic of the blade. She discovered that with her Gift, she could mold the sword into any shape she wished. Her parents never knew that their daughter was mastering all the bladed weapons in the dead of night.

Sarralyn shook her head, coaxing her sword into the dagger shape that it had become that first time and strapped it to her side. Finally, she stood up, looked around at the room that had once made her so happy for the very last time and left her home for the dark woods.

* * *

"Aunt Alanna, I'm going to be a knight."

Sarralyn watched as the Lioness looked from the purple fire that was roaring in the hearth to her face to her hand that was still glowing with the sparkling black Gift that she'd used to force open the front door.

"How on earth did you manage to get past the locking spell that's on my door?" the amethyst-eyed woman asked calmly, a curious look on her face.

The Salmalin child brandished Destiny, the sword's black opal sparkling in the light from the hearth, extinguishing her gift. She rushed to get back on topic; "I'm going to be a knight, Aunt Alanna. Father forbade me from doing it, but I don't care. I'm serious, I want you to train me, because I am going to be a knight whether you want me to or not."

Sweat broke out on Sarralyn's forehead as she watched her godmother look back into the fire. What if the Lioness rejected her, just as her father had? The young girl's mind filled with doubts and worries about what would happen to her if Alanna refused to help.

"First things first, Sarralyn: Give me that sword for a moment."

Sarralyn blinked in surprise, handing Destiny to Alanna. The older woman closed her eyes as she held the weapon, magic flitting across her hands. Those famous purple eyes went wide for a moment as Alanna held the sword, but in a flash they closed again and Destiny was returned to Sarralyn.

"That sword is more powerful than you think, child. You'd be wise to keep it hidden. There will come a time when you'll need it, and it's then, not now, that you should unleash it."

Sarralyn missed the look of awe that crossed her godmother's face as she strapped Destiny back to her side. She didn't know that Alanna had just seen something that had made up her mind for her.

"I'll train you, Sarralyn, but I won't let your parents worry about you by thinking that you ran away." Alanna said, very slowly and quietly. "You must tell them that I've taken you on a great journey with me, to train your Gift and to get away for awhile."

The red haired woman looked again at her young goddaughter and saw a gleam of triumph in those stormy eyes. "Your parents must not know that you are training as a page. It's too lucky that they only stay at the palace in summer, when the pages go home for the harvest."

Sarralyn's heart swelled with happiness. Alanna would train her! She was going to be a knight! Possibilities ran through the young girl's mind freely until her head felt like it was going to explode. The amethyst-eyed woman saw the ecstatic look in her young goddaughter's eyes and shook her head. Sarralyn's grin faded.

"You think this is going to be easy, don't you child?" The woman stared at Sarralyn seriously. She saw the stubbornness in the chin, so like her mother and the same excited gleam in her eyes that Numair always had. Alanna sighed. This would be hard.

"We'll have to go through great lengths to ensure that you are not discovered. Your Gift will be trained at the palace. Thank God your mother had sense enough to have you master your wild magic when you were a child, as you'll need to hide it now…" Alanna continued, not listening to herself, her mind inventing the lie that she knew would lead young Sarralyn to greatness. Was any of this necessary? _Yes _the woman thought as she looked into those burning eyes.

Something deep down told Alanna that if she did not do this now, nothing would ever be right again. The woman stood, gesturing to her goddaughter.

"Come along now. You need to write that letter to your parents."

The Lioness took her young charge to a desk in the corner, gave her a pen and told her to write to her parents saying that she would be away. Sarralyn obeyed and was soon finished.

The letter read:

_Dearest Mother and Father, _

_You've both told me that my path does not lead to knighthood. I don't agree, but that can't be helped. Rather than argue with you, I've decided to go and find which path I _am_ supposed to take. My godmother Alanna has agreed to take me on a journey with her. She wants to take me to Galla, where mother was born, and down to Carthak, where father was imprisoned. She may even take me over to the Copper Isles, to see cousin Alianne, but we aren't sure, what with her newborn and all… _

_There is another reason for this, as you may have guessed. Alanna is going to teach me to use the Gift. She's such a powerful healer and she has said that I have vast potential in this area. I'm sorry, father, I know you wanted to train me, but this way is better, don't you think? I'll get first-hand experience with Alanna that I couldn't have gotten with you, and I'll be in Galla and Carthak and all over the place, helping out like I was always supposed to. _

_I need to find out what I'm supposed to be, mother, father, and I need to do it by myself. You can't choose what my destiny will be for me. Please, please let me make this decision on my own. It isn't as simple as just learning to control my Gift and using my Wild Magic. I need to find myself, and I need to do it now more than ever, since I thought wrongly the first time._

_Tell Numaine and Rikash that I love them and will miss them. I don't know when I'll be back in Tortall to see you again. I love you._

_Yours,_

_Sarralyn Salmalin_

Sarralyn looked at the letter and grinned. _You bet I'll be finding out who I'm supposed to be _she thought with bitterness. _And there's nothing you can do about it. _

______________________________________________________________________________________


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This chapter is one I originally hadn't put into the plot, but I decided that it could work out very well. It's kind of weird, and once you get halfway through it your head will hurt but I happen to like it. Anyway, on with chapter 5!

_**End of Chapter 4:**_ Sarralyn looked at the letter and grinned. _You bet I'll be finding out who I'm supposed to be _she thought with bitterness. _And there's nothing you can do about it._

**Identity, Training, and Dreams**

When Alanna had told Sarralyn that there was someone that she needed to meet before she began her training, she never dreamed it would be because of this.

She entered the front hall where Alanna had summoned her to, clad in dark breeches and a light blue tunic. Daine's daughter was very partial to soft blues and lavenders, just as her mother had been.

Alanna grinned when Sarralyn entered the room. "Nice choice of clothing" she remarked "you'll need the comfort for what we're doing today." The young girl arched her eyebrows suspiciously and went to her godmother's side.

"Sarralyn Salmalin, I'd like to introduce you to someone very important." The older woman's eyes swam with amusement as she spoke, making Sarralyn wary. The girl didn't notice as a nearby door opened a crack. "This is Sarra of Caramein, your new identity."

The door Sarralyn hadn't noticed opened wide. The Gifted Wildmage spun around quickly, startled, and gasped.

There in the doorway stood a young girl who looked no older than ten. The stranger smiled shyly at Sarralyn before approaching slowly and gracefully, her stubborn chin lifted high into the air, her blue-grey eyes sparkling with curiosity as a golden disc hung from her neck. Sarralyn felt her jaw drop.

The girl, Sarra, the Gifted wildmage remembered, was too familiar. She looked exactly the same as the Salmalin child. Sarralyn knew she was staring but she didn't care. It wasn't everyday that someone's carbon copy walked into the room.

Sarralyn and the new girl looked at each other in shock at each other, Sarralyn taking in the wild look of her skin, the full, pink lips, and the knowing spark in those same grey depths. The only obvious difference between the two was the expressions on the identical faces. The Salmalin child had no idea what to do.

"Well, this is interesting" the girl called Sarra said after what felt like hours. Sarralyn's eyes widened at that musical voice- it was the exact same high alto as her own. The raven-haired girl turned towards her godmother. It took all of her strength to turn away from the girl across from her, the girl with her image.

Alanna the Lioness was grinning broadly, a wicked grin on her face. At the incredulous look from her goddaughter, she burst out in deep-throated laughter. "Sarralyn!" she gasped finally, controlling herself "this is your disguise" she gestured to Sarra, who stood innocently curious.

When Sarralyn only stared, Alanna shook her head, still grinning. "If you would kindly remove your amulet, Sarra?" she asked, eyes full of laughter.

The young mage turned back to the girl who was her twin. Sarra grinned sheepishly, looking from Sarralyn to Alanna and back. Slowly, she raised her small (if callused) hands to her necklace and slid it over her head.

At first, nothing happened, and Sarralyn felt the overwhelming urge to cock an eyebrow. What prank was her tricky godmother playing on her? Then, the change began.

All at once, Sarra's features began re-arranging. The high cheekbones rose, giving the face a heart shape as the stubborn chin rounded out. Where the stormy eyes had been round, there was now a very slight slant, and the skin lightened, as did the hair, causing a halo of caramel blonde locks to drape across the creamy face. The entire transformation took but seconds and Sarralyn was left looking wide-eyed at a very different girl, one that bore only slight resemblance to her.

Sarra looked from Sarralyn to Alanna, her strange smoky-blue eyes, just a few shades lighter than Sarralyn's, blinking curiously before she finally began to speak.

"Where to begin…" Sarra took a deep breath, clearing her throat daintily at the same time "ah, yes. I was born in Scanra to Baron Gregorian and Baroness Corrine of Caramein. My mother and father had just lost their two oldest sons, my only siblings, to the civil war, and were elated that they would have the chance to begin again.

"They raised me at Caramein so I would be far from the fighting that was tearing our country apart. They thought that if I was with them, I would be safe." Sarralyn noticed the pain in Sarra's high soprano voice as she spoke of her family. What had happened to them? "Father and Mother were allies of your King Jonathan and his Queen Thayet. They wanted to stop the war."

A wistful smile crossed the Scanran girl's soft face "'To ensure that no one would ever have to lose a child again' they'd said. But our King at the time, Bornan found out about my parent's alliance with your king and sent a squad of warriors to find them." Sarralyn could see tears in the girl's eyes. "The last thing mother and father said to me was; 'Run to Tortall, find the woman known as the Alanna the Lioness and have her teach you magic. Never leave her side.'

That was three years ago. I've been here ever since, with Sir Alanna. She's been kind to me, and I'm so glad that I can finally pay her back."

Silence filled the room when Sarra finished. Sarralyn tried to process the words that Sarra had said. She couldn't imagine being orphaned at such a young age. Even though she'd left her parent's home, she didn't know what she would do without them.

"So, this is how we're going to make this work" Alanna's voice sounded so loud after the quiet that had pervaded the room. "You, Sarralyn, are now Sarra of Caramein. The King and Queen know Sarra, but not well enough that they'll notice the difference in personalities. I'll make a charm for you that will keep others from figuring out your secret, similar to the one Sarra has." Sarralyn glanced at the gold disc that the other girl held tight in her fist.

"Not even your parents will recognize you; you'll look exactly like Sarra and even your Gift will be… discolored. You'll have the perfect disguise. Just be yourself, and no one will notice. First though, you need to memorize your new identity."

The Lioness handed Sarralyn a roll of parchment with Sarra's name and title written at the top. The stormy eyed girl scanned the words on the paper. It was a complete record of Sarra's history, dating back to the birth of her parents and ending with this meeting now. Sarralyn was astounded by the sheer amount that had happened to Sarra in her lifetime.

As the raven-haired girl raked over the sheet for the second time, Alanna was giving Sarra the same instructions. She would be masquerading as Sarralyn, after all, but she'd have to learn to_ act _like the Salmalin child as well. Sarralyn glanced at the girl for any signs of resentment as she was given her rolls of parchment, but all she saw was fierce loyalty and trust in those blue eyes.

"For the rest of the summer, you two will be in training." Alanna looked from Sarralyn to Sarra, a small smile on her face. "You, my lovely, will continue training your Gift like your parents wished you to, and you, Sarralyn, will train your body. But along with this, you two will also be training yourself to be each other."

The older woman's eyes were sharp as she looked from Sarralyn to Sarra and back. "This will not be easy, but it is the path that has been laid out for you. Now, go to your rooms and read up. You have a lot to learn."

And with that, the Tortallan Gifted Wildmage Sarralyn Salmalin assumed an identity that would take her to the ends of the earth- and deep within her own destiny.

For the next three months, Sarralyn- now the dark-blond Sarra of Caramein- trained in secret under her godmother Alanna at Pirate's Swoop, learning the basic crafts of survival. She knew most of it, of course; she was as unbeatable with a bow as Daine was and she knew how to make up and take down a camp. She was skilled at staff fighting, and she was glad to see that she was competent with most bladed weapons but there were still so many things for her to learn. And all the while, she was teaching herself to be more inconspicuous than she'd ever been before.

Sarralyn quickly found that Sarra was a rather interesting girl. According to her cheat sheet, Sarra was a strong, natural fighter who had trained under the Caramein men-at-arms. She was noted at a curious and quick learner who liked to keep the extent of her skills secret. This was all well for Sarralyn, whose own skills would quickly draw attention if she flaunted them. She learned to fend for herself.

Sarra herself was also finding it difficult to adjust into her new personality. Where the Scanran girl was more accustomed to being by herself, Sarralyn was constantly around large groups of people. Eventually, Sarralyn knew, Sarra would get used to others, but the page-to-be had little time to worry over her new friend, as Alanna pushed her harder and harder.

The Lady of Pirate's Swoop and Olau made her young goddaughter run and run and run, to get up her endurance, and to teach her to be as uncaring about pain as a true knight should be. Sarralyn forged swords and learn the lance, at least a bit, since she as a female would be criticized by the boys from the very beginning.

During the whole summer of training, Alanna held fast to only three rules; 1) never complain, always do what you are told 2) never use magic to help you while you are in training and 3) always keep your head clear and your identity close. Sarralyn bit her stubborn tongue many a time and often longed to use her Gift to give herself a pick-me-up. She never did it, though, no matter how strong the desire was and she strived to become like Sarra. She never used either of her magics at all, tuning out the People and ignoring her Gift.

Sarralyn worked long and hard, from sunrise to sunset, earning her stay and her right to be trained under the Lioness. She never complained, never cried, never broke the rules. She wanted this too badly to be negligent, a fact that Alanna could see right away.

The day before Sarralyn was to leave for her page's training, Alanna called her into the study from her practicing.

"Sarralyn" She said, amethyst eyes meeting her goddaughter's stormy grey-blue ones "you've worked hard these last couple months, and you've proven to me that you can do what you're trying to do" Sarralyn grinned widely, but Alanna's gaze was sharp.

"These next seven years are going to be hell for you, Sarralyn. I can promise that. As a girl, you will be teased and prodded and nothing will be easy. You absolutely cannot let anyone find out about who you really are. You'll have to be careful of your Wild Magic as well, since Sarra doesn't have it. Despite that, I believe that you will do well. Please prove me right." And with that, Alanna sent the blonde page-to-be to bed. _You will do excellent _Alanna thought as Sarralyn left the room.

Sarralyn walked slowly back to her quarters in the castle of Pirate's Swoop. These last few months had been hard, harder than she could have ever imagined, but she knew that it would be even harder as a page, and that it was all worth it. _Lady Knight Sarralyn_ she thought with a smile as she extinguished her lamp. She liked the sound of that. Her head hit the pillow softly, sleep claiming her.

_She walked barefoot and naked through a forest, the wild surrounding her, the moon huge and full overhead. Animals chattered about her, looking at her curiously. She called to the People, but none would respond. She listened closely and heard what it was that they were saying. _

"_Mage"..._

"_Don't trust her" _

"_Not one of us" _

"_Two-legger" _

_Their words broke Sarralyn's heart, and she again tried to call to them with her wild magic, but when she reached for the copper fire within her, all she could find was the sparkling blackness of her Gift._

"_What have you become Sarralyn?" A familiar voice asked near the confused girl. Daine the Wildmage floated in front of her, among the People. "Why have you forsaken the People? You are no longer welcome here." _

_Daine's words cut her to the core and she cried out in shock and grief making all the People flee from her. She could feel the essence of her People half being torn from her, and screamed. The world dissolved._

_Sarralyn blinked and looked around. The forest and the People were gone. She now stood on a battlefield, Destiny clutched tightly in her hand, fighting faceless foes in the colors of nightmares; gray and black uniforms fought against the dark blue of Tortall. _

_Far away, a man in a blue tunic and black breeches fell at the hands of an enemy sword. King Jonathan lay dead, the ground stained with his blood. "NO!" Sarralyn screamed, heaving Destiny. Closer, an enemy was approaching another man, one that was very tall with raven-black hair and a long black robe… Numair Salmalin… _

_Sarralyn ran to her father, to save him from the enemy, but she was too slow, and her arms too weak to raise her sword. She didn't know how to wield it; she could not fight._

_In a flash, the battle was over, fallen men and women lay dead all around her. She saw her father bloodied among the dying, his breathing ragged. Sarralyn screamed and ran to him, jumping over bodies and fallen weapons to reach Numair. _

_Stopping by her father's side, she examined his wounds- they were bad, but she was trained to heal. "Papa! I'll heal you! Stay still" Sarralyn cried as she dove inside herself for her Gift, her healing magic. Nothing happened. All she had inside of her was her coppery wild magic. _

"_Sarralyn" Numair said weakly, turning his head towards his daughter. "Why did you choose to let me die? You are no mage of mine" and with that, he took his final breath and was no longer among the living._

_The once-Gifted wildmage sat, shocked, beside the body of her father, her heart almost stopped. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, all she could see was darkness. She reached for her magics, to light the air and found that she was looking inside of herself. _

_And nothing was there. _

Sarralyn awoke with a gasp, sweat pouring down her cheeks. She sat bolt-upright and checked her magics. There they both were, safely nestled within her; ready to be called upon at a moment's notice. The young girl sighed with relief and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

________________________________________________________________________________

Dun-dun-dun… So, do you guys like Sarra? I mean the real Sarra, not Sarralyn masquerading as Sarra. Yeah, it's a little weird but you should live. I wonder how Alanna came up with the plan for the girls to switch places… hmmm… well, in any case, it makes for a good story. Did anyone actually get what that dream was supposed to represent? If you don't and want to, just ask in a review and I'll gladly explain. This chapter was pretty important, so you might wanna re-read it. Anyway, are you ready for Sarralyn's adventures as a page to begin? Well, you better be. Check back in soon for the update!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So, what're we on now? Six, seven? Oh, right, it's six. Thanks to all you guys who are still reading. I'd beg you to bear with me, but I don't think I have to if you've already kept to it this far. Anyway, please enjoy this one, it's a bit shorter than the last two have been. Consider it a break. Read on!

_**End of chapter 5: **_Sarralyn awoke with a gasp, sweat pouring down her cheeks. She sat bolt-upright and checked her magics. There they were, safely nestled within her; ready to be called upon at a moment's notice. The young girl sighed with relief and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

**Return to the Palace**

_The next day_

"Wake up, child, and greet your home!"

Sarralyn shook herself awake from her sleeping place upon the young mare that Alanna had lent her for the journey and looked up at her new- or was it old?- home. The palace that had once seemed so ordinary now loomed above her, full of strange promises and hidden dreams and destiny.

Alanna and Sarralyn waited outside a door marked _Duke Gareth the Younger of Naxen_, waiting their turn in the small line of young pages that were to be initiated into their new life. Ten or fifteen years ago, all the young men would have turned to stare at her, making rude comments about her sex, but today it was the Lioness who was the center of attention. Young boys stared at the famous woman with wide eyes, both shocked and amazed to see the normally secluded knight.

A pair of twins emerged from the chamber- a boy and a girl, and then it was Sarralyn's turn. She took a deep breath to calm herself then strode forward into the room.

Gary of Naxen had been a good friend of the Baron and Baroness of Caramein, so Sarralyn didn't have to pretend like this was her first meeting with the burly Prime Minister. The cheerful knight smiled at the young girl and then at his dear friend as they settled into chairs in front of his desk.

"Another lass? That's two new ones this year! That's a first!" And so it was. "Good to see you again, Sarra of Caramein in Scanra, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? You were just a babe the last time I saw you." Gary stopped for a moment and squinted, his eyes going hard. Sarralyn felt her heart stop. She could feel the amulet that disguised her appearance and gift resting against her skin, but what if the Duke saw through it? Sarralyn braced herself for Gary's words.

"I'm terribly, terribly sorry about your parents, they were good people" was all he said. Sarralyn let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and dropped her gaze.

"Your Grace is kind to remember them" Sarralyn said quietly, acting just as sad as if it was Numair and Daine who had been the ones to die.

Gary nodded and sighed. "You remember the Knight Commander, don't you, Sarra? Yes? Well, he and I are supposed to share this job but he seems to be in Goldenlake with his girls at the moment." Gary winked slyly at Alanna "Three girls! Who would've guessed" The desk knight shook his head as he began to brief Sarralyn on the life of a page.

All Alanna could do through the entire thing was smile, remembering her first day at the palace, being told the rules of page hood by Gary's father, Duke Gareth the Elder. She looked down at Sarralyn, who stood rapt with attention, soaking in Gary's every word as though it was law. Alanna stifled a giggle as she realized that Sarralyn's situation was much, much like her own had been.

"Now Sarra" Gary said, after he was finished with the usual speech "I know about your magical issue." Sarralyn opened her mouth in shock. Gary mistook her parted lips and held up his hands

"No- don't speak. It's been awhile since we've had a female page with the Gift, but times are changing again." Gary's gaze went to Alanna as he said this, and she cringed mentally. It was true; there hadn't been a Gifted female page since she had been there. The Lioness had forgotten about that. She thought of all the people that had spread lies that she'd used her magic to cheat and grimaced. She didn't want Sarralyn to go through that.

"You will not be alone, however," Gary was saying "and I'll be damned if anyone's going to say that you used magic to help you cheat during your years here." The big knight folded his massive hands on the table in front of him. "An untrained Gift is a hazardous one. You _cannot_ simply ignore it." Again, his eyes flashed to Alanna's. The Lioness blushed crimson.

"Therefore, you will receive magical instruction from a palace mage. Not now: today you've got to move in and sponsors must be chosen." Gary rose to shake hands with Sarralyn. "Good luck." The girl-child nodded, a serious look on her face, and walked briskly from the room, Alanna just a step behind.

The two went first to the palace tailors, where Sarralyn was measured for a palace page's uniform by a plump, cheerful woman. "With all th' lasses that 'ave been showin' up teh be pages, we 'ad a special uniform made" the woman said with a proud smile after she had written down Sarralyn's measurements. "It'll be brought to yer room tonight so yeh can have it fer supper."

A special uniform?! What other new things would they do to make Sarralyn stick out? The young girl smiled nonetheless, saying her thanks before leaving with Alanna.

The next stop was the page's wing, where Sarralyn's room would be.

_This seems alright _the girl thought as she opened the door with her name on it. It was a small, ordinary room, with a comfortable-looking bed and a sturdy desk. Alanna went to inspect the dressing room as Sarralyn looked about. Her eyes fell on another door half-hidden in the corner of the room. Curious, the smoky-eyed girl walked to the door and opened it. She heard a gasp escape her lips.

There was another room behind the door. An occupied room. A small, dark-haired figure jumped at the gasp and wheeled on the innocent Sarralyn. The figure was a young girl, no older than Sarralyn with shoulder-length black hair and wide sapphire-blue eyes.

"Good to see you've met Kira" a voice said from somewhere behind Sarralyn. The surprised child jumped and turned to see Duke Gareth smiling down at her.

"I forgot to mention something when you two left your sessions with me" the large knight said, a slight smile on his face. "Because we have two female pages this year, it seemed appropriate that we… keep you together. These two rooms are connected to help you two become acquainted."

The stormy-eyed girl looked at the child that Gary had called Kira. She was only an inch or so taller than the blonde child, with eyes that were very slightly slanted and skin the tan of the Yamani islands. She had looked fierce when wheeling on Sarralyn, but now the magelet could see the kindness on her new roommate's face.

"Introduce yourself, child" Sarralyn did not notice Alanna coming out of the dressing room, but she did not jump this time.

"I'm Sarra of Caramein" the foreign name felt natural on Sarralyn's tongue after the summer's training, but she mumbled it anyway, slightly embarrassed, as the other girl inspected her from top to toe.

"My name's Kirei" the raven-haired girl finally said, a small, kind smile playing on her lovely face, "but everyone calls me Kira." Sarralyn held out her hand for Kira to shake, which she did, before mumbling something about her brother and retreating. Sarralyn thought she saw a guarded look on Kira's beautiful face.

The smoky-eyed lass sighed as she turned back to the grinning Alanna. She was glad to know that she wasn't the only one with secrets.

After her strange encounter with her new roommate, Sarralyn accompanied Alanna to the stables, where the Lioness' things were already packed up for her ride back to Pirate's Swoop. It was a sad sight to see. Sarralyn threw her arms around her godmother, her heart thundering with panic in her ears.

"Shhh... don't worry." Alanna said, petting the girl's dark-blonde hair. "You'll be alright."

Eventually, Sarralyn straightened and looked at her godmother's horses. One of them, the caramel-colored one with the midnight mane and white star on her forehead, on which Sarralyn had ridden on to the Palace, was unsattled.

The girl pointed to the unsattled horse "Aunt Alanna, you forgot one of your horses." At this, amusement covered the older woman's face.

"Lass, do you know what day it is?" Sarralyn wracked her brain and came up with nothing. Alanna laughed outright. "It's your birthday! How could you forget? That mare- she's yours. I know you will get on as well with her as I did with her sire, and your mother with her dame."

Sarralyn's eyes became as huge and round as dinner plates at Alanna's words. This was the offspring of Darkmoon and Cloud! Overwhelmed with excitement, she ran to the young mare, calling to her excitedly. Her wild magic was rusty after the months without use, but Sarralyn got it to cooperate.

"Did you hear that girl?! We're going to stay together!" She called with her voice and her magic, giving the copper fire the push it needed to work. The young mare whinnied her approval and pranced around in a small circle, making Sarralyn laugh. The child turned to Alanna, to ask what the horse's name was, but the Lady Knight had already gone.

_I am Starlight_ the mare answered the girl's unspoken question as Sarralyn turned dejectedly back to the beautiful animal _and I am so happy to be yours, Gifted Wildmage._

* * *

Somewhere far off, a bell sounded the time. Sarralyn had only two bells to get ready for and to supper. She had been sitting on a comfortable stool having a pleasant conversation with Starlight, working out the kinks in her wild magic, and hadn't noticed the time.

The Gifted wildmage groaned, displeased at having to leave her interesting new companion. Horses were so much more… tame than humans sometimes.

Starlight heard her mistress's thought and smiled an odd horse-smile. _Go _she said, bumping her nose against Sarralyn's chest _you don't want to be late for your first dinner. _

Sarralyn smiled up at the horse; _How is it that you know what's good for me better than I do? _

Starlight snorted with pride. _Because I pay attention _was all she would say

After promising to bring her new horse a carrot from the page's dining hall after supper, Sarralyn rose and raced out of Starlight's stall. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to run or not in the stables, but surely being late to dinner was worse than a bend of the rules when no one was there to watch it? It just so happened she was about to find out. She saw the boy a second too late, coming out of a stall near Starlight's with a bucket of water in one hand. His eyes went wide as she crashed into him.

There was a sickening thud as Sarralyn's head hit the hard stable ground. Somewhere close by, a boy's voice was asking her if she was alright, and she saw a flash of deepest blue before everything went dark.

"Whoa" the young boy said to himself, his deep sapphire eyes peering down at the stunningly pretty girl who had barreled into him, now unconscious on the floor of the stable. She had come out of nowhere, and almost ran him down. The boy shook his head, his black hair tossing about, marveling at the situation.

_Better wake her up _he thought to himself, grabbing his still-full bucket. He glanced down at the girl, looking so peaceful in her unconscious state and sighed as he drenched her.

Almost instantly, the girl came up sputtering, her smoky blue eyes flashing like steel. The boy winced at the blonde girl's reaction. _I should have kept her asleep _he thought as she began to demand to know where she was in a harsh tone.

The sapphire-eyed boy grinned slightly as the young beauty paused for breath. Apparently there would be no need for polite and formal introductions. "You're in the stables, steely-eyed lady" he said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement rather than sarcasm "where you happened to run into me then pass out on the floor."

He watched as the girl's sharp eyes softened with memory, and saw the pale skin relax. "Oh, that's why my head feels like it's broken in two" Her voice was beautiful as the song of a sparrow.

The boy felt the grin become more pronounced on his face. He was beginning to enjoy this odd situation. "My name's Jasson" he smiled warmly enough and stood up, offering a hand to the fallen girl. "And what might be the name of my lady?"

A smile crept onto the face of the girl, easing her stubborn features as she stood. Her eyes were just about level with the tip of his nose.

"I'm Sarra" she said, once she was steady on her feet. "Sarra of Caramein. I'm a page."

For Mithros' sake! Jasson thought, his eyes widening a bit. This is the one his Majesty and the Lioness had been speaking about! The blonde girl noticed his shocked expression and cocked an eyebrow. Jasson quickly recovered, looking at his feet. "Oh- I'm a first-year too" he mumbled as a bell chimed in the distance.

The boy panicked slightly, looking down at his messy clothes and at the dripping Sarra. "We've only got one bell 'till supper, Sarra. We need to hurry."

The two bid a rushed goodbye once they reached the page's wing, the blonde girl-child turning into her room and Jasson to his. What a day! The sapphire-eyed boy thought to himself as he tugged off his breeches and tunic and pulled on the crimson-and-gold page's uniform. He'd never thought that his first day as a page would be so hectic. A smile crept onto his face, however, as he thought of Sarra. He'd just made his first friend as a page.

_And she doesn't even know who I am…_ the eleven-year-old smiled. _Sometimes it all can be just too much _he thought as he turned to the mirror and felt his smile turn into a devilish grin. He looked just like any other ordinary page. And that was exactly what he wanted.

In her own room, Sarralyn was facing a dilemma. She'd walked in to find a sleek crimson and gold bundle lying on her bed and had been overjoyed that her page's uniform had arrived. But now, turning this way and that in the mirror, the young mage couldn't help but think that something was very wrong.

Her uniform consisted of a crimson hose and long-sleeved shirt, both of which were to be worn under a gold tunic. For some reason, though, the tunic was too long; it fell to just above her knees with slits up the sides to allow her freedom of movement. There was a curve in the design of the thing, to make it more form-fitting around her body. She cringed as she looked at herself in the mirror. It looked like she was wearing some kind of fitted nightdress!

A knock at the door that connected her room to Kira's ripped the Salmalin girl's gaze away from her image in the mirror. The raven-haired child came into the room, wearing a costume identical to Sarralyn's. It was obvious that there would be no shyness between the new roommates.

Kira's dark eyes were ablaze. "What are these things?!" the girl plucked at her uniform, pulling its clingy material away from her body with shaking fingers. "We'll be laughed at! This is no way for a page to be uniformed!"

Sarralyn couldn't agree more, as she looked at herself in the mirror again. She looked so… _girly_. "We're going to get hell about this from the lads" the stormy-eyed girl remarked.

Far away, another bell clanged, calling the pages to dinner. Sarralyn and Kira exchanged a horrified glance at each other before stepping out into the hall to join the boys.

* * *

Poor, poor Sarralyn and Kira. Why would the tailors go out of their way to set the girls apart? Well, anyway, the next chapter is up as well, so why don't you go on? Happy reading!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: So, here it is. Again I'm sorry about the fluffy chapter. There's going to be a lot of names in this one, so pay attention or else you'll miss it! Be careful and enjoy!

_**End of chapter 6:**_ Far away, another bell clanged, calling the pages to dinner. Sarralyn and Kira exchanged a horrified glance at each other before stepping out into the hall to join the boys.

**New Page**

Sarralyn looked at the very loud bunch of pages that were assembled in front of the mess hall. These were the new ones, the first-years whom she would spend the first four years of her Knighthood training with. The stormy-eyed girl counted up the first years silently. Five boys not including Jasson (who was, at the moment, next to her and Kira) stood around, talking and joking. Sarralyn would have whistled if she'd been alone. Eight first-year pages was a lot.

Besides the first-years, no one had yet to enter the room. A Palace serving man had collected the newcomers and brought them here, telling them to stay put for the other pages and their Training Master to arrive. But where were they? Sarralyn knew that Kira was asking herself the same question.

Kira stood beside Sarralyn in the corner of the great room, having retreated there after six pairs of male eyes had lit upon their odd uniforms. The young Gifted wildmage could still hear the snickers of the boys who had stared. Only Jasson had had the decency to stay with the girls without making jokes.

"Where in Mithros' name are they?" The words had barely come out of Jasson's mouth when the two great doors that separated this hall from the page's wing burst open.

The first-year pages fell silent as a group of about fifteen boys entered the room, led by a very, very, tall figure with short hair and a commanding presence.

The adult turned towards the new pages, dreamy hazel eyes flashing. "Well, don't just stand there; come here so I can see you." Sarralyn's jaw almost dropped at the sound of that voice, and she hurried to form a line in front of the grown-up. That sound was female.

When the first-years were settled, the woman nodded. "Right then" she mumbled, eyeing the children in front of her. "I am Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, one of your Training Masters. Your other Training Master is Sir Owen of Jesslaw, whom you will meet shortly.

"These next four years will be the most exhausting and rigorous of your life. You'll work in conditions you never hoped to be in, and you won't complain. You'll train until you think you can't train anymore, and then you'll go at it again. This will not be easy." Lady Knight Keladry's sharp dreamer's eyes fell on Sarralyn and the young girl realized she'd been holding her breath. "For any of you."

The Lady Knight turned towards the older pages and Sarralyn exhaled. "Listen closely, seniors; some of you will be assigned to show these new ones around the palace." She waved a scroll that Sarralyn hadn't seen her holding. "Be kind and thoughtful, and treat them with the respect they are due." Most of the older ones nodded in agreement, but Sarralyn saw three in the back roll their eyes.

Lady Knight Keladry began to assign pages to sponsors, and Sarralyn watched as Jasson was paired with a second-year named Gareth, who was undoubtedly one of the largest boys Sarralyn had ever seen. Next, Kira went to the second-year page Zanen of Auran. Sarralyn saw Kira's features turn to stone and her eyes burn as Zanen's name was called. The Salmalin child shook her head wondering what Kira had against the older page. Three more boys were paired and Sarralyn shifted impatiently.

Finally, it was just Sarralyn and one other first-year. "Sarra of Caramein" the fidgety girl's head shot up at the sound of her name. "You are with Nazir izn Hashim."

A boy with the dark skin of a Bazhir grinned beside Keladry and made his way to Sarralyn. He was taller than Sarralyn by about a head, and he had dark, laughing eyes. The two stayed quiet as the last boy's name was called. Aegil of Sheridan was assigned to Jaden of Steel Valley, whom Sarralyn recognized as one of the boys who had rolled their eyes at the Training Master. With that, Lady Knight Keladry rolled up her scroll and dismissed the pages for supper.

"So you're Sarra of Caramein, then?" Nazir said as he and Sarralyn progressed through the line of pages grabbing their food.

Sarralyn nodded nervously. Nazir's voice was deep and kind, and his smile reached his eyes, but the young girl was still wary. She didn't know why he was being so nice to her, when she'd been tossed upon him like a needless chore.

The Bazhir frowned, leading the girl away from the supper line with his loaded tray. "You know, Sarra, I'm not going to lie, this year is going to be hardest for you and the other lass."

The young girl blinked and looked up at Nazir. She hadn't expected him to be so matter-of-fact about it.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she whispered, not caring that she was standing in the middle of the dining hall. It wasn't as if the others were all settled, either.

Nazir's eyes flashed for a moment before he answered. "Because I know what it's like to be a minority here" he said, his deep voice quiet "there's only two Bazhir pages, and I remember how it was my friends that helped me get through it. This is how I'm paying them back." Those deep black eyes looked past Sarralyn, and the older page grinned. "Speaking of friends, Gary's calling us over."

Sarralyn followed Nazir to a crowded table. She saw Jasson there with his sponsor, the big, burly son of Duke Gareth of Naxen. Next to Jasson sat Kira, with Zanen across from her. Sarralyn noticed that Kira and Zanen never looked at each other. She eyed the seat across from Jasson and Nazir placed his tray next to her.

"Good to see you again, Sarra" a familiar smooth voice said as the girl-child settled in at the table.

Sarralyn was startled at the enthusiasm in Jasson's voice, and she was happy to see that his broad smile met his eyes.

The Salmalin child smiled back tentatively and looked at Kira. Her mouth suddenly dropped open. Nazir looked over at his charge, worried. "What is it, lass?"

Sarralyn's eyes were darting back and forth between Kira and Jasson. They looked exactly the same! "You two are twins!" she exclaimed, slightly hysterical, pointing at the other first-years seated across from her.

There was silence for about half a second before the whole table burst out in laughter. Sarralyn felt her face turn crimson and she lowered her arm.

Kira and Jasson looked at each other when they'd finished cracking up, an identical mischievous glint in their matching sapphire eyes.

"I thought you already noticed that"

"Since we were standing out in the hall together"

"You're really quite unobservant, Sarra"

"Though, I must admit it's quite funny."

Sarralyn gave the twins incredulous looks as they finished each other's sentences. From somewhere down along the table, she heard a new voice mutter "I wish you two wouldn't do that"

Next to her, Nazir sighed "They're just having a bit of fun, Emmet." Sarralyn's sponsor turned back to her with a frown. "That's Emmet of Oakwilde down there." He pointed to a boy with dark brown hair and pale skin. "And that's Caidon of Queenscove" This time, Sarralyn met the gaze of a dark-brown haired, emerald-eyed boy. There was warm laughter in Caidon's eyes as he bowed to her from his seat. Sarralyn noticed a slight Yamani slant in his eyes as he straightened.

On the other side of the room, someone rapped loudly on a table. Sarralyn turned to see a lean man standing next to Keladry. The man was shorter than Keladry by an inch or so, with a mane of crisp brown hair, but his presence was even more commanding than the Lady Knight's.

"To those of you who don't know me" the man said, is deep voice powerful "I am Sir Owen of Jesslaw, your Training Master. I hope you enjoy these days lazing about, because we start fresh and early on the practice courts the day after tomorrow." There was a wave of groans in protest from the assembled pages, but Sir Owen silenced them with a glare from his grey eyes, nodding to Keladry who prayed aloud in her endearing voice.

"To the Great Mother Goddess and Bright Mithros, we give thanks! May they guide us through this life as we try to unravel our destinies. May they help us to understand what we truly are and lead us in the right path!" Sarralyn gulped as she looked at the Lady Knight Keladry. Did she know what her words had truly meant to the Salmalin child?

_Of course not _Sarralyn thought to herself as she and her fellows ended the prayer with "So mote it be!"

Sarralyn relaxed as the other pages dug into their food. _No _Sarralyn thought, fighting down the panic that made her pulse run. _No one knows… yet. _And it was that one little word that Sarralyn was most afraid of.

Supper wasn't a long affair; the pages that surrounded Sarralyn ate like they hadn't seen food in days. _Typical boys _she thought with a mental shrug as Gary stood up once more to fetch his fourth helping.

None of them expected it when there was a sudden rap at the head table. All the heads in the hall turned at once, and Gary plopped dejectedly back down in his seat.

Sir Owen of Jesslaw and Lady Knight Keladry were standing, looking expectantly over at the great gold-and-wood doors that were only opened for the highest-ranking nobles. Sarralyn gulped as her intuition gave her no clues as to who it was that the Training Masters were waiting for. She didn't have to wait long.

In a second, the noble doors were thrown wide and a hushed silence fell over the room as two men entered. The first to walk through the doors was an older man; white hairs were visible in the crisp mane of black hair and he walked carefully. Nevertheless, Sarralyn could feel the authority coming off the newcomer in waves. The second man was younger, his gait full of tentative adulthood and there was no white to interrupt the night-like hair that was nestled on his head. This one, Sarralyn could see, was the subordinate.

The men reached Sir Owen and Lady Knight Keladry and turned to face the pages. Sarralyn stifled a gasp.

"Please, stay seated. I don't want to keep you long; I just need to say a few words before you head to your rooms for the night" the older man- King Jonathan's- voice was more powerful than Sarralyn had expected.

"I seem to remember what it was like, page hood, we won't drag" Prince Roald, King Jonathan's heir was quiet, but his voice attracted the page's attention without any effort.

Sarralyn sat back in her seat, reeling in shock. How could she have not recognized the King and the Prince? She silently wracked her brain, trying to figure out just how old the King was. Jonathan began speaking again, and Nazir nudged Sarralyn in the ribs in attempt to make her pay attention.

"You young ones are the future of this country" the king was saying, scanning the room and somehow seeming to look at everyone at once. "I have seen generations come and go, and now it is time for yours. My generation is coming to a close" King Jonathan nodded at Prince Roald, who gave a small smile, "and it is time for the next to take over."

The king stopped, thoughtful, and Prince Roald picked up where his father had left off. "We are so proud of the progress that our country has made in the way of its knights and pages." The prince nodded to Lady Knight Keladry before turning his dark eyes on Kira, Sarralyn, and the other female- a third-year called Paige of Elesmeran.

"These next few years will call for trial and tribulation, and I will gladly be right there beside you all. It's not just my children that I feel such pride for, in undertaking this journey." There were a few murmurs at this and Sarralyn cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

She'd heard of the royal prince and princess, the only children of Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami, but she never expected them to be here. The gifted wildmage felt the urge to crane her neck and scan the room, as so many other pages were now doing.

"Now!" The King's voice brought everyone's attention back to the royal father and son "We've delayed you long enough! If you will, Sir Owen?"

And with that, the royalties left. The pages didn't even have time to stand and bow.

Sir Owen dismissed them, a small, private smile on his face as he turned back to converse with the Lady Knight beside him.

Sarralyn was thoughtful on her way back to her room. She hadn't realized how old King Jonathan was. Why, he had to be in his early fifties at least! Of course, her godmother Alanna had just celebrated her 50th birthday a while back, but she hardly seemed that old.

_It'll soon be time for the king to pass on the crown _Sarralyn thought as she reached her room and began to undress. Long ago, there had been made a law that a King could not hold the throne after his 60th year. It was bad for the kingdom if there was a king who reigned for too long; times changed, and monarchs had to change with them. Sarralyn was shocked to realize that before she took the Ordeal of Knighthood, the realm would have a new King. She shook her head and her mind wandered further.

It was also custom that the identity of the heir to a Crown Prince was to be kept a mystery until that Prince was King. That custom was to keep the royal lineage safe, Sarralyn knew, but still, she couldn't help but wonder which page it was that would be her King someday. The gifted wildmage sighed. She'd probably never figure it out.

Of course, how was the young Sarralyn to know, as she extinguished her lamp that the heir was so very near, falling into a fitful sleep, worried sick that someone may find out his secret? Simply put, she couldn't. So as the disguised Salmalin girl wished her roommate goodnight and closed her eyes, she gave up her thoughts for the night and surrendered to a dreamless sleep, knowing full and well the surprises that tomorrow would have in store.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Told you there were a lot of names. Oh, and for the sake of me not looking like an idiot, let's just say that the royal children have magic protecting their identities from being discovered, just like Sarralyn does. I'll go into more detail in this next chapter, but for now, just go with it please. No, Sarralyn is not stupid for not realizing who they are, okay? Alright… just review if you're still confused, and stay tuned for more info! Next up is Sarralyn's first day as a real page, and the answers to some secrets. See you soon!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Okay, this chapter might turn out to sound a little repetitive, but that's okay. OH, and I'm sorry this has taken so long to get out. Enjoy!

_**End of chapter 7: **_Of course, how was the young Sarralyn to know, as she extinguished her lamp, that the heir was so very near, falling into a fitful sleep, worried sick that someone may find out his secret? Simply put, she couldn't. So as the disguised Salmalin girl wished her roommate goodnight and closed her eyes, she gave up her thoughts for the night and surrendered to a dreamless sleep, knowing full and well the surprises that tomorrow would have in store.

**A New World**

Sarralyn awoke the next morning before dawn and groaned, attempting to will herself back to sleep. Today was her first day as a page! She needed as much sleep as she could get! After about ten minutes of trying to control her breathing, however, she gave up and rolled silently out of bed, dropping to the floor without a sound, amulet swinging around her neck.

"Sarra? Are you awake?" Sarralyn was shocked to hear Kira's voice so early in the morning- surely the entire palace must still be asleep!

But the dark-haired head that poked into Sarralyn's room said otherwise. Kira opened the door that connected the two female pages and joined her roommate. The blonde wildmage realized she was sitting on the floor, but didn't get up to sit on her bed.

"What-" "How-" The two said together. Sarralyn looked to the floor, embarrassed, as she heard Kira chuckle.

"What do you think of these things that they're doing to us? With the special rooms and the new uniforms? It's like they're trying to make us stick out, don't you think?"

Sarralyn's head shot up; she couldn't agree more! "Completely! I didn't come here to be treated differently; I just want my shield like all the other boys!" the testy girl's voice came out as a low growl and she looked over at Kira apologetically. The sapphire-eyed girl was smiling again.

"That's precisely how I feel!" she exclaimed, her strong voice quiet. Sarralyn felt a broad grin spread across her face. It looked like she and Kira were going to get along just fine.

"So, Kira, tell me about your family. Who are your parents? Do you have any other siblings besides Jasson?" Sarralyn was itching to find out more about her new friend.

Kira looked at her "A curious little thing, aren't you?" She said, cocking an eyebrow. Sarralyn noticed the guarded look in Kira's eyes and wondered what was wrong. "My father is just another knight of this wonderful realm. He and my mother met when he was a squire; she'd come with the Yamani ladies. I don't know my Yamani grandparents, but my grandfather on my father's side is a knight as well, and my grandmother comes from Saraine, like yours." Sarralyn was startled that Kira had already heard of her, or rather, Sarra. Hardly anyone knew of Sarra's Saraineian origins. "I don't have any siblings besides Jasson. My mother can't bear any more children, so we're all my parents have. As for my home, my family lives at the palace almost all of the year, so we say that we're of Corus."

Kira paused, open-mouthed, as though she just realized she shouldn't have said something. Sarralyn didn't ponder it; she was too busy preparing herself for the question that was bound to come next.

"And what about you, Sarra? What's your story?"

Sarralyn breathed out, trying to calm herself. "I never knew my siblings, but my mother and father lived at Caramein in Scanra, as you know" she began, the well-memorized lie tumbling from her lips. "They did... but they were killed almost three years ago now because of their alliance with King Jonathan." Sarralyn paused dramatically, as if about to become emotional. "They told me to come to Tortall before they died, to see Alanna the Lioness and have her teach me magic. Lady Alanna taught me to heal. I looked up to her, and wanted to be just like her. So, I'm here. I'm not sure if this is what Ma and Da would have wanted, to have me killing and such, but-" Sarralyn was surprised when she realized that there were actual tears swimming in her eyes. She hated lying to Kira, but it was no use.

The young Yamani girl patted Sarralyn on the arm sympathetically. "Let's not talk about this. It's past dawn so why don't we get dressed and hunt down our sponsors?"

Sarralyn was quick to agree with this idea, relieved that she wouldn't have to lie some more. Kira ducked back into her room as the blonde girl changed into a caramel-colored shirt and dark breeches. She turned this way and that in the mirror, loving how she looked feminine but strong in the casual clothes. The stormy-eyed blonde wasn't afraid to be who she was- or who Sarra was in any case. The girl shook her head, confused.

She didn't ponder it for long, as Kira reappeared, clad in a light blue shirt and black breeches. A glowing smile lit upon the other girl's features and Sarralyn realized that her roommate wasn't just pretty- she was beautiful. From the straight nose to the full, red lips to the deep blue eyes, the Yamani girl was easily the loveliest child Sarralyn had ever seen. Something like recognition tugged at the back of the Gifted wildmage's mind, but as soon as it surfaced it was gone.

"Let's go" Kira's voice was soft as silk as she took Sarralyn's hand and marched her out of the room for breakfast where their sponsors would be waiting.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Fancy seeing you two here."

Sarralyn and Kira stopped dead at the sound of the icily handsome voice that called to them. They were halfway to the mess hall, taking some sort of shortcut that Kira had apparently found years before. They hadn't expected to meet anyone.

"Well don't just stand there, turn around."

Hot adrenaline flowed through the young wildmage's body as that voice called again. She shot a glance at Kira and saw that the Yamani girl's face had gone blank as stone. _We're in trouble _Sarralyn thought, panicked as she watched her new friend look her way as well. The girls' eyes met for a fraction of a second before they turned, still holding each other's hands.

But it wasn't a Palace serving man that had caught them.

It was a boy, a page.

Sarralyn's sigh of relief was halfway out of her mouth when she felt Kira squeeze her hand. That's when the young mage actually took a look at the one who had called out to them.

The boy looked to be no more than thirteen years old, with hair just a shade lighter than Sarralyn's though with the same skin color. A huge grin was splayed across his narrow face, stretching out his lips. He was rather handsome, if a little thin. _He doesn't look that bad_ the disguised girl thought as she looked the new boy over. Then she met his eyes and fought to stifle a gasp.

They were grey, steel grey, colder and harder than ice. Sarralyn felt the overwhelming urge to step back, away from his sharp gaze. Suddenly, she recognized him. This was Jaden of Steel Valley, the one who had rolled his eyes at Lady Knight Keladry.

Jaden caught the look in the girls' eyes, Sarralyn's shocked, Kira's fierce, and his grin widened. "Pleased to meet you, you're Sarra of Caramein and Kirei of Corus, are you not? My name's Jaden."

Sarralyn felt more adrenaline rush to her brain at the tone of his voice, hardening her eyes, setting her jaw. She opened her mouth to speak, but someone else spoke first.

"I know who you are, Jaden of Steel Valley." Kira's hiss pervaded through the deserted corridor, setting the hairs on the back of Sarralyn's head on end. She knew without looking that the expression on the Yamani-child's face would be just as cruel as the sound of her voice.

"Testy, are we?" Jaden's eyes only flickered with amusement at Kira's sharp response. "Calm down, I just wanted to let you _ladies_ know something."

The Salmalin child stood stock-still as Jaden leaned down until his face was on the same level as hers. For a moment, Sarralyn felt the overwhelming urge to spit in his face as she narrowed her flaming eyes.

"Women weren't meant to be knights, girlies. You're going to fail, just like Lady Knight Shara of Stone Mountain failed on that silly little raid. So do yourselves a favor and quit now while you still have a chance."

The page of Steel Valley grinned evilly at Sarralyn, focusing his entire cold stare on her. She couldn't look away, couldn't breathe. Far away, a hand squeezed her own and a familiar tingle crept through her arms.

"Shara of Stone Mountain" Kira's voice was hard and loud, snapping Sarralyn back to reality as it rang through the hall, "was a hero. She died doing her duty as a knight of this realm, and if I ever hear you speak ill of her or any other Lady Knight again, I'm going to let Sarra take that magic that's dripping from her fingers and throw you through a wall. If you'll excuse us, we're late for breakfast."

And with that, the two first-years left a shocked Jaden behind them.

Sarralyn was still staring at the hand not being squeezed to death by Kira when they reached the mess hall entrance. Had her Gift really released itself like that? The young mage winced as she realized how much her control must have withered during those months that she hadn't used it during training at Pirate's Swoop. _At least it's not black_ Sarralyn thought as she shook away the remaining golden glow. So far, the amulet that Alanna magicked had worked perfectly. The Salmalin girl sighed with relief and headed for the mess hall doors, only to be held back by Kira.

"Sarra, wait." The voice that had been so unbelievably cold was now blunt and smooth as a Yamani mask extinguished all her emotions."Sarra, don't tell the boys about our… encounter with Jaden. They'll just fuss and ask questions or think we're telling tall tales." Sarralyn watched as Kira's dulled eyes flashed with unchecked emotion.

_She's afraid, _the blonde thought as she promised not to breathe a word of the incident and Kira cracked into a smile that didn't completely cover the slight worry etched into her porcelain face.

The Yamani girl was definetly scared, Sarralyn knew, as the two entered the over-crowded mess hall. But as they strode over to the almost-full table where their sponsors sat, she couldn't help but wonder why.



"Sarra! Kira! Good of you two to join us!" Caidon called from down the table as the girls took their places next to Zanen and Nazir.

"Good to see you too, you big oaf" Kira laughed, punching the older boy softly in the arm.

Sarralyn giggled with the rest of the table before she saw the very slight resemblance between her roommate and the Queenscove boy. They had the exact same slant in their eyes.

"Don't tell me you two are siblings as well?" Sarralyn's voice dripped cheerful sarcasm as the other pages at the table glanced at each other, smiling.

"Not exactly" A voice directly behind Sarralyn said, making the girl jump. She whirled around in place to meet an overwhelmingly familiar face. Jasson grinned at the surprised look in his friend's smoky eyes. "Caidon's mother came with the Yamani ladies just like ours did. We're more like cousins." Behind Sarralyn, Kira flashed an angry warning at her twin.

"If Jassy there and 'Rei were really my brother and sister, my parents would have fits! They've already got their hands full with the seven of us. It's only by the grace of the gods that father has the humor and mother has the patience to deal with us." The older pages roared at this, looking around at the others through teary eyes. Sarralyn had an inkling that an inside joke played a part in their amusement and couldn't help but feel left out.

That's when she first heard _his _voice.

"Don't worry, Sarra." The sound that reached Sarralyn's ears was like nothing she'd ever heard before. Suddenly the rowdy pages and the crowded mess hall seemed a million miles away, buzzing on the corner of the girl's subconscious as all her attention turned onto this one perfect voice. "You'll get used to it soon" it continued, like a comforting lullaby "Heaven knows I did."

Slowly, very slowly, Sarralyn turned her head in the direction that the angel's voice had come from and gasped as she met a new pair of perfect chocolate-brown eyes.

In that instant, Sarralyn knew that time had stopped. This one- this boy was something completely foreign and entrancing. Her eyes locked onto the silky bronze hair and traveled down, taking in the smooth, lightly tanned skin, sharp cheekbones, and strong jaw line. She saw a small smile etched into the proud lips before her gaze was drawn back to those hypnotic eyes with their full lashes that would have looked feminine on anyone else. As it was, they just made the entire spectacle all the more impressive. Sarralyn was positive that she must be staring into the face of a god.

It may have been only a few moments that Sarralyn's world seemed to freeze around her, but it felt like much more time had passed before things seemed to spring back to life. Either way, Sarralyn was immediately aware of someone far too close calling her name.

"Sarra, are you alright?"

It took the disoriented girl a moment to remember who was speaking. "I'm fine, Jasson, thank you, I'm just a bit impatient to get started around the palace."

She'd chosen the perfect response, as Nazir and Gary began fussing amongst themselves about where they would take their first-years. Sarralyn noticed that Zanen, who hadn't spoken a word since Kira had taken a seat next to him, didn't chatter along with the others as he kept an impenetrable Yamani-mask on his face. There was also an obvious tension between the older page and his charge which made the young wildmage wonder once again what was going on with them.

"Sarra, are you sure you're okay?" Jasson's whispering tone was concerned as the older pages continued going over their game plan. Sarralyn could only smile at her sapphire-eyed friend and assure him that she was alright.

"I'm just excited" she said, her smoky eyes large and innocent.

Jasson cocked an eyebrow, searching her face, as if trying to tease the truth from her listless expression. He looked as though he wanted to say something else, but it was at that moment that Gary slammed his hand down on table.

"All right!" Gary said with a huge grin on his face as the first-years' eyes shot towards him. "We've decided where we're to take you youngsters."

The sponsors explained that they would be staying together as they showed their young charges around. They'd start with the uppermost floors and work their way down so that they didn't miss anything, and so that they'd know where they were going during classes tomorrow.

Sarralyn pasted an interested look on her face as she stared through the older pages. Her body itched with the urge to get up and sprint out of the mess hall, away from the bronze-haired boy whose chocolate gaze she could feel on her back. She was oblivious to everything else, including the deep blue eyes that were still upon her.

An eternity later, the group of pages took their leave. Sarralyn burst out of the mess hall, and gasped a much-needed breath, not realizing that she'd been holding it in the first place. Somewhere close behind, she heard a low chuckle and straightened before her new friends could see her. It wouldn't do any good to have them thinking her a silly bedazzled girl on her first day of page hood!

"All right there, Sarra?" Caidon said cheerily as he emerged from the mess hall "Haven't seen a lass run like that since that time that Sir Neal put spiders in Lady Knight Alanna's bed!"

Several chuckles mixed with Sarralyn's own as the other boys and Kira appeared as well. The blonde page breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that the page who had so entranced her was not among them.

"Emmet can't come with us right now" Caidon said in response to the searching look in his new friend's eyes.

Sarralyn nodded, and looked towards her sponsor, who was now several pages ahead of her. She sighed deeply. Today was going to be a long day.

They started with the uppermost floors of the castle, Nazir pointing out the room and corridors in especial detail to Sarralyn. None of the new pages would have to come to these floors until they were squires at least, but Gary assured them that it was important to learn the entire castle early on. Sarralyn smiled at this. It was precisely what her father had said when he first toured the castle with her. Of course, Nazir thought she was a foreigner, so she just went along with the routine.

"This here's the Knight's wing"

They'd gone down about five floors from the very top of the castle and now were only two levels above the ground. This was the place where Sarralyn's godmother Alanna's palace rooms were, as well as the chambers of the many knights that came to court. The Salmalin girl read the names on the doors to herself as Gary and Caidon took turns reading them aloud.

"Sir Nealan of Queenscove"

"Sir Cleon of Kennan"

"Sir Merric of Hollyrose"

"Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan"

"Sir Owen of Jesslaw"

The next name plate was one that greatly interested Sarralyn. Her footsteps slowed as she viewed the title that gleamed against the bronze on the door. Oblivious to their friend's stop, Caidon, Nazir, Gary, and the twins continued on ahead.

Alone, Sarralyn ran an unfamiliar hand over the plate.

_Lady Knight Adele of Dawn's Peak _

Many stories had circulated about this particular woman. She had passed the ordeal only four years ago, making her the youngest Lady Knight to date. She had been the squire of Sir Faleron of King's Reach and had excelled in the art of archery. On horseback with a bow, Adele of Dawn's Peak was said to have been just as deadly as a man with a lance or sword. And gods was she fast unarmed… Before her, all the lady knights had been given titles befitting them; Alanna the Lioness, Keladry the Protector, Miriam the Desert Rider, Rochelle the Bright, and Adele the Seer. What many, including Adele herself, did not know was that the reason for Adele's sharp eyes was her magical Sight.

She was only a half year away from her Ordeal when misery struck her.

The true tale is unclear, but it is known that the Seer was on a mission to exterminate Spidrens from some town, near the borders of Scanra. When the attack came, the Spidrens fought back and overwhelmed the party. Two were killed immediately, but three others, including Sir Faleron, were taken. Alone, Adele fought back against the Spidrens and single-handedly defeated them. But during the course of her battle, one spidren attempted to stop her, shooting its poison straight into her famed eyes.

The Seer was immediately blinded.

However, she fought on and saved the three soldiers as well as a dozen villagers found to be still alive in the Spidrens' lair.

This story ran through Sarralyn's mind as she touched the name plate.

"You seem very interested in Lady Adele"

The Gifted Wildmage whipped around, little hand balling up into a fist as she spun. Her eyes met the blank orbs of none other than Zanen, Kira's sponsor.

"Oh, Zanen I thought everyone'd gone ahead already."

The Yamani page shrugged slightly, the small lift in his shoulders barely noticeable. "Call me Zane, Sarra. We're to be friends, are we not? Lady Adele is a very kind woman, and a very fierce warrior. I find it interesting that you would look up to her; however, it is not unexpected. Perhaps you too have a secret you do not understand locked in you like the Seer." Zane chuckled.

Now it was Sarralyn's turn to shrug, a slight blush on her cheeks. Zane was sharp, she'd give him that.

"We need to get back to the others, Zane, I'm sure Kira is looking for you."

The page of Auran's dark eyes grew slightly at the sound of the other female's name, before being replaced by a smooth Yamani mask. "Yes, let's go." And he hurried ahead, Sarralyn close on his heels.

Before long, the entire group (including Zane and Sarralyn) found themselves on the main floors, where the mess hall and the page's wings were. The first years were shown the training grounds and the stables, where Sarralyn's Starlight was. The wildmage said a quick hello to her steed before following the party out again. The next floor down was where the commerce of the Castle was. There were the tailors and the servant's wings and every kind of shop that one would ever need. As usual, Sarralyn was struck by how vast the castle really was, almost like a small city in itself.

"You see" Nazir explained, looking at the shops "these are here for the nobles who don't wish to go into the City. Pages aren't allowed to come down here much." Again, Sarralyn nodded.

Down two or three more floors they went, Sarralyn, Kira, and Jasson following obediently behind their sponsors. But at the second to last floor, Zane suddenly stopped.

"This is as far as we can take you." The Yamani boy said, face smooth. Sarralyn noticed that the sharp static crackle between Kira and the older boy had rekindled the moment he had returned to her side. What could be going on with the two of them?

It was this question that Sarralyn puzzled over as she climbed back up the flights of stairs. She was shocked, upon reaching the main floor, to see that it was already dark. Pinpoints of stars shone through the many towering glass windows, signaling that it was time to retire.

The seven walked back to their rooms in silence, knowing only too well that their day of relaxation was over. Tomorrow the real training would begin.

* * *

Okay!!! Next is Sarralyn's second day as a page and a little beyond. I'm really, really sorry that this has taken so long.

Syril Silverleaf- Eh, the good parts will come. A budding rivalry with the Page of Steel Valley is already underway.

Miss Lyss- Yeah, I thought I'd better add that tidbit at the end last time, to make sure you didn't think that Sarralyn was mental.

Ama-chan 13- I'm really glad you're still reading! And again, I'm sorry for the wait.

Sarralynsalmalin- Hehehehe… that's for me to know, and you to find out… soon

Lady Queria- Thank you! Your wait's done now. Sorry I prolonged it so much!

KD- Wow, thank you! That's quite a compliment. I'm just glad you like the story.

Sun Doll- Yeah, it's irony I guess, since the readers know it but the characters in the story don't… I dunno. I think that's what my English teacher said : P


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Wow, okay, chapter 9 already. Just, wow. I can't believe how fast this is going by. Or, it seems fast for me… Anyway, be ready to welcome some new faces once again! I hope it makes sense! And thank you, to those of you who are still reading! This chapter is one part of a two or three part piece that I decided to split up because I realized it would be way too long. Enjoy!

_**End of Chapter 8:**_ The seven walked back to their rooms in silence, knowing only too well that their day of relaxation was over. Tomorrow the real training would begin.

**Discovery**

It was long before dawn when Zanen of Auran finally gave up on his fitful sleeping. He rolled out of bed, trusting his Yamani grace to catch him.

THWACK! The second-year blinked in surprise as he fell flat on the floor. _That_ he hadn't expected. Though, as he thought about it, he hadn't quite been himself the last few days. Running into things, stumbling, stuttering…

_What's wrong with me?_

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Zane had the answer. It was _her_. Images of that sapphire-eyed beauty flashed in his mind and he had to fight to stifle a sigh. Yesterday, and the day before that, he'd acted like such a stony fool around his charge. She probably thought him just another egotistical boy who thought the world of himself. He shuddered at the memory of the hateful static that had rolled off of her in waves. She _loathed _him.

_She has the right, and you know it _another side of the Yamani boy said. Zane shook his head, knowing it was true. But it wasn't his fault that they were who they were. He remembered the agreement that his parents and the Royals of Tortall had reached, and he knew that she had no choice in the matter.

_She'll come around _Zane assured himself as he rose and strode towards his glaive. At least, he prayed with all his heart that she would.

* * *

"I don't understand why we have to do this every morning" Jasson whispered, turning his glaive for an attack. "It isn't as though we don't know each other's every move."

Kira snorted. "What? Do you want to get out of shape so that mother can beat you? Or Lady Knight Keladry? HA!"

Jasson shook his head sadly as his sister blocked his attack. He knew full and well why they practiced every morning together, and it wasn't to stay in shape. It was to keep his dear twin's mind off of things. He quickly tried to halt the direction in which his thoughts were moving, knowing that Kira could hear him. Too late.

The sapphire-eyed girl narrowed her eyes and swung at her brother with such force that he stepped back. "How. Dare. They. Do. This. To. Me." She said, punctuating every word with another lightning-fast blow. She knew there were tears in her eyes and didn't care, attacking blindly in Jasson's direction.

BAM!

Jasson cringed at the sound of the smashing glaives, and wondered how his sister's roommate could sleep through all of this. He saw Sarra in the back of his mind and almost smiled. His mind wandered for a split second…

WHOOSH!

Jasson looked up, startled as his glaive was ripped from his hands. Kira caught it neatly, glaring at her brother.

"What was that? You were wide open!" Jasson heard the bitter tang wrapped around the girl's words and sighed deeply, letting down the barriers around his thoughts. Kira's eyes grew wide.

"Oh" she said, softer this time, with a bit of curiosity. She opened her mouth to say something else, but a soft knock on the connecting door interrupted her.

"Kira, are you awake?" The female page heard Sarra ask in that soft voice of hers. Kira shot a glance at her twin, who had gone tense and slightly pale.

_Do you want to leave? _The Yamani girl thought at her brother. Jasson nodded quickly, sprinting from the room as fast as his legs could carry him. Kira shook her head and sighed. Sometimes her brother could be just too strange. The light knock came again and the raven-haired girl rushed to open the door for her roommate.

Sarra's face was etched with curiosity as she walked through the door, her suspicious eyes glancing at the door that Jasson had just left through. "I thought I heard voices…" the page began, not looking at Kira.

Kira winced as she realized that Sarra could have so easily heard every word that she and Jasson had said. "It was just Jass, he and I were practicing" The Yamani girl held up her glaive.

"Oh" was all Sarra would say. Kira's face fell. _Did she hear us? _Kira wracked her brain for everything that she and Jasson had talked about. Their parents, the arrangement…. The raven-haired girl cringed as she realized far too much had been said too easily.

_In the name of the Goddess… what did she hear?_

There was no other option, Kira had to know. She felt down inside of her for her sapphire blue magic, and sighed. She hated doing this to people, but it was an emergency situation now.

"So tell me more about Scanra" Kira prompted, holding the thread of her Gift with her mind. All she needed to do was get Sarra distracted enough to leave an opening… There!

Sarra closed her eyes, remembering, and Kira literally threw her magic into the girl's mind. It wasn't the most perfect shot in the world, but Kira made her magic sweep into Sarra. Technically, the half-Yamani girl knew that this magic was still beyond her, but it was an _emergency_ after all. She tried to remember what her teacher had said; _just think of what you want, and make it happen._ Kira closed her eyes, concentrating on what she needed to do.

But nothing happened.

Kira could feel her magic inside Sarra's mind, but it was as if there was a perfectly solid stone wall protecting her thoughts. The Yamani girl furrowed her brow, trying to find purchase in the barricade, feeling around with magical fingers. Nothing worked.

But wait- was that a glint of copper?

Sure enough, a flash of coppery light was coming from somewhere deep inside of Sarra. How odd… it almost looked like Wild Magic! Kira smiled mentally at this. Wild Magic? Surely not! Someone would have mentioned it… said something… wouldn't they?

The coppery fleck told her otherwise. _It can't be. _She thought, moving closer to the copper. _It simply can't be…_ or could it? No... Impossible!

BOOM!

Kira's eyes shot open as her magic was literally kicked out of Sarra's mind. The Yamani girl blinked in confusion, the sudden brightness of the room startling her. "What-" She began, turning her head.

Sarra stared at her, innocence etched into every one of her features, her smoky blue eyes opened wide. "I said, are you all right?" The Scanran girl asked with true concern in her voice. "You've been sitting like that for quite some time now."

"Oh" was all Kira said in response, as she slid a Yamani mask on her face. _Did Sarra just force me out of her mind? _Logic said no. After all, the page of Corus knew advanced magic. No ordinary ten-year-old should be able to stop her from reading their thoughts. And yet… Kira shook her head as her thoughts wandered back to that flash of copper. Impossible.

"We should probably head for breakfast now" The Yamani girl mumbled, her mind far away.

She didn't catch Sarralyn's nod, didn't see the look of incredulity set deep within the other girl's eyes. Didn't look up as that girl exited the room. Only one thought ran through her head. _Just who is Sarra of Caramein? _

If only she knew…

The blonde girl grimaced as she changed into her palace uniform. She'd been told by Alanna that the royal uniform was now mandatory wear for all pages during classes. A frown lined her face as she viewed herself in the mirror. The girl's uniform was just so… feminine! Sarralyn scowled at the lack of a better word and turned her attention back to the task at hand. Hesitantly, the Salmalin child knocked on her roommate's door.

"Come in."

Sarralyn opened the connecting doors, and saw Kira perched on the edge of her bed. Her hair was tied back into a horsetail and her uniform clung to her body like Sarralyn's. The Yamani girl smiled when she saw Sarralyn. She plucked at her uniform.

"These things are absolutely horrendous. They're so unnecessary!"

A wide grin broke out of Sarralyn's face. Obviously, Kira was acting as though nothing had happened and the Salmalin daughter didn't know otherwise. "I know- just think how Paige of Elesmeran feels! She's got breasts and everything along with this!"

Paige of Elesmeran- Page Paige- was a third year, and the only other female besides Kira and Sarralyn among the pages. Paige was thirteen, and a fine example of a young woman. Nearly all the first-year pages had been ogling at her at dinner the night before. _Her_ uniform fit even tighter than theirs, and looked like a dress that had been cut off at the knees. Sarralyn felt sorry for her, but Paige didn't seem to need any pity. She walked with her head high and her eyes clear. Rumor had it that she was the daughter of a Shang.

Kira nodded, getting to her feet. She paused, looking at Sarralyn with a serious gaze. "Just think- we'll end up just like that in a couple of years too."

There was silence for about a second or two, before both girls erupted in laughter and giggles. They remained that way all the way down to the mess hall. Neither seriously thought that they'd be like Paige.

The mess hall was nearly full when Sarralyn and Kira entered it. Many eyes flew to their uniforms again, but Kira was serene as a forest lake, and Sarralyn was too stubborn to care much. They got their food while the other boys around them chattered before settling in with their advisors again. Once more, Sarralyn observed the stony tension between Kira and Zane. She made a mental note to ask her new friends about it.

At the front of the hall, Training Masters Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan and Sir Owen of Jesslaw got to their feet and everyone went silent.

"Good morning!" Keladry called, her voice both powerful and soft at the same time.

"Good Morning!" The majority of the assembled pages shouted back. Sarralyn noted that Jaden of Steel Valley was one of the few who did not, a disgusted look on his somewhat handsome face as he leaned over to whisper something to the boy sitting next to him, who shook his head.

Keladry grinned widely "I hope you all had fun relaxing yesterday!" She said, a twinkle in her sharp dreamer's eyes. "Because today we finally get down to business!"

Several boys groaned in protest, and Sir Owen's shout of "Silence!" echoed off the walls. The protests died away.

Again, Sarralyn had seen, it was Jaden and those two boys that had misacted. As Keladry thanked Sir Owen and went on about the day's schedule, Numair's daughter took a close look at the troublemakers.

There were three of them, all sitting next to Jaden who was the obvious leader. The boy on his right looked vaguely familiar, with the brown hair and dark skin and sharp eyes, but Sarralyn couldn't quite place it. That one was the one who had shaken his head earlier. He reminded Sarralyn of a particular hawk she'd met once, named ProudWings, who'd simply decided that he was simply better than all the rest of the sky's children. Daine used to talk of ProudWings frequently, but one day she'd come home, and refused to speak his name. Numair had explained to his daughter that the hawk had stolen some seed from a farmer and been killed. Sarralyn shuddered at the memory, and turned her eyes on the other boy.

The boy on Jaden's left was a Bazhir. This was the one Nazir had been talking about when he mentioned there was only one other page that came from the desert. Sarralyn stared at the page and understood why Nazir hadn't been enthusiastic about his tribes mate. The Bazhir boy was almost frightening to look at. His skin was dark and visibly rough. His hair was the color of the midnight sky and it reached his shoulders easily.

Suddenly, he turned his head and the weight of his feral gaze fell on the unprepared girl. It felt like he was looking into her, hypnotizing her. Was he using some kind of magic? Quickly, she averted her eyes, but the feel of that stare still rested on her shoulders as she shouted "So mote it be!" along with the other pages. Beside her, Nazir and Gary almost literally inhaled their food and went to grab another helping. Sarralyn smiled and looked down the table. Was someone missing? She counted the number of pages silently.

Nazir came back to the table as she was trying to figure out who the missing one was, and grinned at her furrowed brow.

"It's Emmett, lass. He's meeting with someone about somethin' or another."

Sarralyn's head had snapped up so eagerly at the utterance of Emmet's name that Zane, across from her, cocked an eyebrow. She realized her mistake immediately and thanked the Goddess that Nazir had been too occupied with his food to notice. But at the other end of the table, a certain someone with hair the color of midnight and sapphire eyes did notice, and a dark cloud settled over his world.

"Will Paige of Elesmeran, Kirei of Corus, and Sarra of Caramein please remain in the mess hall after breakfast."

Sarralyn's mouth almost dropped open as Lady Knight Keladry called the names of the only three female pages. At her table, all the boys had gone very quiet. Gary actually paused a moment, halfway through his fourth helping. The Salmalin child fought to compose herself as dozens of other boy's eyes fixed upon her. A quick glance at Nazir revealed the same surprised look that was coming from Gary. Obviously, the female pages were not traditionally held after breakfast.

What could be the problem? If it was her secret that they had discovered, why were the other girls called? Sarralyn's cheeks paled as it hit her; they must have discovered her lie and they were now not only going to dismiss her, but all the other females as well. The girl shot a panicked look at Kira, who's stone Yamani-mask revealed no emotion. A cold sweat broke out on the Gifted Wildmage's brow.

After that announcement, the morning meal seemed to flash by in seconds. Sarralyn pushed her tray away, thinking of an argument for the other girls. It wasn't their fault that she was a liar! Surely they would not punish the others! But as the minutes sped by, the sick guilt grew heavier and heavier in her stomach.

Too quickly, the meal was done. All around her, boys were standing. They were not joking around and chattering as they had been at the evening meal before. Now they were silent, shuffling out of the hall quickly, shooting glances at Sarralyn's table.

Nazir, Zane, Gary, Caidon, and Jasson got up like the others. They hesitated by the table, faces twisting with worry. Sarralyn offered a false smile of encouragement.

"Go- don't worry" she said lightly, her heart shattering. Would she ever see the boys again?

Caidon nodded, custom cheery smile gone from his anxious face, and the others followed him out of the hall. Jasson shut the door behind them with one last, searching look. When they were gone, Kira stood.

Sarralyn took a deep breath, and stood up as well, following the Yamani girl whose life she was about to ruin. The walk up to the front of the mess hall felt like a death march. Her breath came faster as Lady Knight Keladry and Sir Owen's figures grew larger, closer.

"Ladies- thank you for staying after" Keladry said, lightness in her voice. This was odd, Sarralyn thought. Shouldn't she should be harsh, considering that she was about to dismiss them?

"There's someone that you three need to meet." Why was there a sparkle in the Lady Knight's eyes? Beside Sarralyn, Paige of Elesmeran straightened. The Salmalin child looked at the older girl. She remembered that Paige was a third year. Those years were about to amount to nothing…

"Girls, I believe you all know who this is." Keladry gestured to a woman Sarralyn hadn't noticed before. The Gifted Wildmage blinked at this new development, her gaze slanting towards the new figure, a woman, she noticed, for but a moment before her eyes darted back to Keladry.

"Adele is your new Training Advisor."

Sarralyn blinked- was this some kind of trick? The girl took a closer look at the woman Lady Knight Keladry had pointed out. The woman didn't look a day over twenty, her milky skin glowing, full pink lips set in a polite smile. She had a pair of those dainty little hands that the court ladies who sat around sewing all day had, and her long almost-silver- blonde hair fell to her waist. Sarralyn took the entire sight in with a slightly raised eyebrow. Surely this was some kind of joke! The lady in front of her couldn't advise knights in training! Sarralyn opened her mouth to ask who the woman really was, when she turned her head towards Sarralyn, the smile fading from her lips.

The Gifted Wildmage almost screamed. _Her eyes! What's wrong with her eyes!_ She thought wildly as the new lady's gaze remained on her.

Her eyes were an interesting shape, an almost Yamani-almond, but at the same time, much less narrow. But it wasn't the shape of those eyes that made Sarralyn want to run for her life.

There were no pupils to those eyes, nothing to interrupt the deep golden topaz color that spread larger than any normal iris would. In those eyes, Sarralyn saw pain, suffering, hardship and loss. Those eyes looked like they held a world's worth of suffering in them, and Sarralyn could almost feel that pain being transferred onto her. She felt the ghost of tears come to her own eyes as she stared into those golden depths. And that's when recognition washed over her and made her blood go cold.

This woman in front of her was none other than Lady Knight Adele of Dawn's Peak.

Lady Knight Adele of Dawn's Peak was the first Knight ever to be blind. Along with being called the Seer, she was simply called the Lady because of her beauty. Also, she was gifted with the magical Sight, a gift that allowed the user to do any number of fascinating things…

Including seeing through any disguise.

The blonde page's heart stopped as she realized it.

Her secret was out.

* * *

So… Sarralyn's been found out already. What will this Lady Knight Adele of Dawn's Peak do with the Salmalin girl's secret?! Review and you'll find out... Eventually…

Staro-dawny Serce- Ah! You've raised some interesting questions. The answer is yes, remember Caidon mentioning his six siblings? Guess how many are girls… and as for the young boy with the Horse Magic, I've got plans for him, don't worry, but you'll have to wait and read to see what they are!!!

Syril Silverleaf- I'm so, so sorry about this. My mother got married and we had to move and a whole bunch of stuff! Anyway, I'm sorry, and hopefully it won't happen again. Still, I can only manage about one chapter every two weeks… Thanks for hanging with me, tho.

Ama-chan 13- Arigato Gozaimasu for reading, Ama-chan!

Miss Lyss- Hehehehe… well, this chapter should have made a few more hints in the direction that you're thinking! Thanks for reading!

The knights who until recently said Ni: There is a good reason that Daine and Numair are so adamant about their daughter becoming a knight… (cough cough… chapter three when Numair is arguing with himself in his head… cough cough…)

As always, Thanks for reading!


End file.
